Tent-flap-closing device.



J. H. HERZSTEIN. TENT FLAP CLOSING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29. 1914.

Patented July 17, 1917.

WITNESSES ing at Antonito,

JOSEPH HERMAN HERZSTEIN, F ANTONITO, COLORADO.

TENT-FLAP-CLOSING- DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July it, Milt.

Application filed June 29, 1914. Serial No. 847,884.

- Flap-Closing Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to tent closlng devices, and one of the principal objects of the invention is to provide a device whereby the door or flaps of a tent or tent window may' be drawn together, or loosened for opening at will.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device for drawing together or loosening the edges of any closure, whose edges are beaded, said device including a slide and a plurality of followers or double slip eyes, said slide and eyes adapted to engage the beaded edges of the tent closure, and to slide up or down while in engagement with said edges for drawing them together or for loosening them whereby they may be opened, the slide and eyes being secured to a strip which serves the double purpose of connecting the parts and of also providing a substantially weather proof closure.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the class described including a slide provided with a double channel for engaging the edges of the tent closure, and further provided with a buckle or clamp for removably securing the slide to the strip.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a device of the class described which will be extremely simple, durable, efficient in operation and inexpensive to manufacture.

With these and other objects in view which will become apparent as the description proceeds, the invention residesin the construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described, and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several figures, of which:

Figure '1 represents a front elevational view of a tent showing the manner of the operation of my invention in closing the flaps of the tent.

Fig. 2 represents a detail horizontal sectional view taken on the plane indicated by the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 represents a perspective view of the slide removed.

Fig. 4 represents a detail vertical sectional View taken on the plane indicated by the line 4:-4 of Fig. 1, showing the man'- ner of locking the slide to the tent pole.

Fig. 5 represents a fragmentary inside elevational view of the tent closure showing the disposition of the closure strip.

Fig. 6 represents a transverse sectional view taken through the closure strip indicating the position of the slip eyes rela tively thereto, and

Fig. 7 illustrates a vertical transverse f sectional view taken through the slide on the plane indicated by the line 7-7 of Fig. 3.

The device as a whole maybe used as a means for drawing together or loosening the'beaded edges of any flexible closure, but for purposes of illustration and for the reason that it is primarily intended for use in the manner shown, I have illustrated the device as used in connection with a tent closure.

In the drawing, 5 illustrates the end flaps or door of a tent, which flaps or closure as they may be termed generally speaking, have their adjacent edges 6 beaded in the manner well known to tent makers, by means of a single string or cord or a number of them twisted together, the cord being indicated at 7. The two members of the closure are as is well known connected together at the top as at 8, and they are provided ordinarily with short lengths of rope whereby each may be tied together for drawing the edges of the closure together.

The device forming the subject of this invention takes advantage of the beaded edges 6 to do away with the ropes (not shown) which are very eflicient and to provide a very effective closure, and comprises a slide A, a closure strip B to which the slide is detachably secured and a plurality of followers or double slip eyes C, connected to the strip as will hereinafter appear.

The slide comprises a strip of metal molded or stamped to provide a pair of-channels which run parallel with and in proximity to each other at their upper ends and which diverge oppositely and curve outwardly as at 10 at their lower ends, said lower ends being connected by a web 11 having an eye 12 in which a ring 13 is positioned whereby the slide may be manipulated and whereby it may be attached to the baseof the front tent pole when the tent closure is drawn together, the channels 9 being adapted as indicated, to accommodate the beaded edges 6 of the closure, said slide being disposed between the edges and being so formed as to leave slots 14 extending throughout the entire length of the channels on the opposite edges of the slide, said slots adapted to accommodate the portions of flaps 5 adjacent the beaded edges whereby, as it will be readily understood, the slide may be raised and lowered with the beaded edges as a guide.

The closure strip B may be made of any suitable flexible material, and is secured at its upper end in any suitable manner to the tent closure adjacent the point 8, being otherwise loose from the tent, and provided at spaced intervals in the closure strip are the followers or double slip eyes C, which are each in the form of a pair of oppositely disposed open rings 15 formed integrally with the shank 16 which connects them, said shank extending through a slip in the medial line of the closure strip indicated at 17, the edges of said slip being sewed together for securing the slip eye in place on the strip. As indicated in Fig. 6 the eyes or followers are open as at 18 on their opposite edges to accommodate the closure strip and also to accommodate the portions of the closure 5 extending adjacent the beaded edges 6, in the manner indicated in Fig. 2, said beaded edges being engaged by the slip eyes in the manner shown. The closure strip B is disposed on the inside of the tent, and when the tent is closed provides a very effective closure against the weather.

The slide A is provided with means whereby it may be detachably secured-to the closure strip, said means comprising a buckle or clamp D which includes a body portion 19 disposed transversely of the slide on its rear side, or that side within the tent, said body portion having an arm or lug 20 extending centrally therefrom and secured by means of a stud 21 to the slide at the apex of web 11, said stud extending through both sides of the web and through the filler 22 disposed between them, which filler however, does not interfere with or obstruct the channels 9, but merely adds strength to the slide. Between the ears 23 provided at the ends of the body portion of said clamp is swiveled a clamping lever 24 provided with teeth 25 adapted to co-act with a raised edge 26 of the clamp body for securely clamping the lower end of the closure strip Bagainst said body, in the manner indicated in Fig. 4, whereby the slide is detachably secured to the strip.

From the position indicated in Fig. l the slide may be grasped by the ring 15 and slipped upwardly thus successively engaging and pushing before it the slip eyes, said slides and slip eyes being guided by the beaded edges 6 of the tent closure, and the operation continued until the slide is raised to the height desired whereby the closure may be thrown back in the ordinary manner to provide entrance into or out of the tent. When the tent is in open position in order to close itthe slide is grasped and pulled downwardly thus through the medium of the closure strip pulling the slip eyes downwardly and hence drawing the edges of the closure together in the manner indicated.

Although I have described the preferred embodiment of my invention, I may desire to make such changes in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts thereof as do not depart from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

The ring in the slide may be fastened to the bottom of the tent pole in any suitable manner such as by means of a staple 30, and may be locked with a pad lock 31, to prevent unauthorized opening of the tent. The device may be attached to sleeping bags or tents, and vehicle covers of various sorts.

I claim:

1. A device of the class described comprising a closure strip, having a plurality of slip eyes secured thereto, a slide including guide channels for engaging the beaded edges of a closure, and a clamp carried by the slide and detachahly engaging the closure strip whereby the slide may be adjusted to assume various positions longitudinally of the closure strip.

2. The combination of flap closures having beaded edges, a flexible strip anchored at one end near the adjacent ends of the flaps, slip eyes carried by the strip and slidably engaging the beaded edges of the flaps, a slide including channels slidably engaging the beaded edges, and a clamp carried by the slide and detachably engaging the flexible strip whereby the slide may be adjusted to assume various positions longitudinally of the strip.

JOSEPH HERMAN HERZSTEIN. 

